ACW

Sunday, 21 May 2017

Seize the day

A time to be born and a time to die. Eccl.3:2

So many friends,
family and church members have their birthdays this month.In counting back nine months I realised factories
would close down their production lines for two weeks in August to give their
staff the obligatory two weeks annual holiday, the rest is history! Christmas has the same effect. My husband’s sister had three of her four children nine months on!However, my theory breaks down when my brother-in-law's birthday is 31st December, mine on 1st
January, a great nephew 2nd January, and my-sister-in-law on the 3rd.

In a
few decades there have been huge changes in when and how a woman can control conception.And for those previously unable to conceive there’s
hope with IVF treatment. Yet despite
this thousands of babies each year are condemned to death before they have a
chance to live.

Man is now
in control of the time to be born or not, and it appears is already working to be in
control of when he dies.

But overall death
is still very much in God’s hands. This month we have said ‘goodbye’ to two
people, one who fell short of one hundred years, and the other falling short by
ten days of his 60th birthday. Steve
only found out he was riddled with cancer twenty-four hours before the Lord took him home.His words, “If I get
healed, or if I die, it’s a win win situation.” The Bible tells us that God knows our name
before we were born, and He has a plan and purpose for each of us. It has caused me to consider my life, and desire
for each day to count for Him.

Only I know how my latest book will end. I've a 'bucket' list of people and places to visit. What is God’s list for me to
do before that day comes? I want to reveal His love and salvation in all my
writing, for in this life we are meant to have a deep and meaningful relationship with the Lord in
preparation for when the next one begins?

Shocked by Steve’s
diagnosis, the Lord reminded me of the scripture “Behold I stand at the door and
knock if anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and sup with
him and he with me.”In my mind’s eye I ‘saw’
Steve open that door, immediately light
flooded in encompassing him.I had the
inner realisation that even though Steve had known the Lord most of his life, he needed time to imbibe that love,
peace, glory of the Lord and
was in the final preparation of meeting with Him. Twelve hours later, those in the
room with Steve felt the Presence of God overflowing from him, they sensed his earthly discussions,
perhaps a final cleansing, before he stepped over the threshold into the fullness
of the light and all that was awaiting him.

3 comments:

I love the idea that we have eternal life and THAT IT STARTS HERE AND NOW IN OUR EARTHLY LIVES. If you like, this bit is the prologue and death turns the page; so we start on the main book. As a writer, I can totally relate to that metaphor. Great post!